The present invention relates generally to escape hatch assemblies of the type that can be mounted in vehicles, and more particularly to escape hatch assemblies of this type that are mounted in the roof of the vehicle to permit persons within the vehicle to escape in an emergency situation.
It is well known to provide escape hatch assemblies in an opening formed in the roof of vehicles, such as buses, and these escape hatch assemblies are normally in a closed position to seal such opening. A mechanism is usually provided that permits occupants inside the vehicle to open the escape hatch member in an emergency where the doors of the vehicle are not accessible, and to escape through the opening. In many cases these conventional escape hatch assemblies are also provided with a mechanism that permits the escape hatch member to be partially opened to ventilate the inside of the vehicle.
These conventional escape hatch assemblies have two significant disadvantages. First, the procedure for mounting the escape hatch assembly in the roof of the vehicle is somewhat time consuming and labor intensive. Also, once installed, the escape hatch assembly has a relatively high profile (e.g. 2.5 inches) above the top surface of the vehicle that exposes it to possible damage.
More specifically, conventional escape hatches are mounted from the outside of the vehicle by hoisting the escape hatch assembly up through the opening in the top of the vehicle and temporarily manually holding the escape hatch assembly in place, and this requires two people in many cases. Then, the escape hatch assembly is attached to the top wall of the vehicle using rivets, screws, adhesives and the like, and this procedure is carried out from outside the vehicle. Finally, the installer(s) go back inside the bus to attach a piece of trim around the inside surface of the escape hatch assembly.
Once the escape hatch assembly is installed, the frame portion of the assembly, which is mounted to the top surface of the roof of the vehicle, protrudes upwardly through the roof of the vehicle for several inches above the outer surface of the roof, and the escape hatch member is positioned on top of this upwardly extending portion of the frame. The result is that the upper portion of the escape hatch assembly extends upwardly above the outer surface of the roof in an exposed position. Moreover, the attachment screws, adhesives, etc. are located at an exposed position on the outside of the roof of the vehicle, and, as a result, mechanical fasteners such as screws can rust, and adhesives can deteriorate because they are constantly exposed to weather conditions. Another disadvantage of known escape hatch assemblies is that they usually require two sealing members, one between the frame member of the escape hatch and the roof of the vehicle and one between the frame member and the escape hatch member of the escape hatch assembly.
This exposed position of the roof hatch assembly can present a safety problem. If the vehicle is in an accident and rolls over so that the top of the vehicle strikes the ground or road, the exposed escape hatch may be damaged to an extent that it becomes inoperative and incapable of performing its intended function of permitting the occupants in the vehicle to escape through the escape hatch assembly. In some cases, the vehicles may have roll bars that extend vertically above the roof of the vehicle, but conventional escape hatch assemblies have a vertical extent above the top of the roof of the bus that is greater than that of the roll bars. Moreover, because some vehicles are being made with an increased vertical height, the exposed escape hatch assembly may also become damaged because the exposed portion of the escape hatch assembly will strike low hanging obstacles that are in the path of the exposed portion, such as, for example, highway overpasses, awnings of hotel entrances, and tree limbs.
The escape hatch assembly of the present invention overcomes or ameliorates these disadvantages of conventional escape hatch assemblies, and provides an escape hatch assembly that can be installed easily and quickly at a reduced cost, and, once installed, the exposed portion of the escape assembly has a significantly reduced profile that improves its safety characteristics and it also provides better sealing characteristics between the roof of the vehicle and the escape hatch assembly.
In accordance with the present invention, an escape hatch assembly is provided which is mountable in an opening in the roof of a vehicle, and this escape hatch includes a frame member having an egress opening defined by upstanding side walls that are arranged to extend upwardly through the opening in the roof of the vehicle, and includes a flange member extending outwardly from the lower portion of the frame member and arranged to abut the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle. Attachment devices are provided for securing the flange member to the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle. An escape hatch member is attached to the frame member for movement between a closed position at which the escape hatch member closes the egress opening above the frame member by directly engaging a resilient sealing member, and an open position spaced from the frame sufficiently to permit egress of persons through the egress opening in the frame member.
In a preferred embodiment of the escape hatch assembly of the present invention, the resilient sealing member is arranged to extend around the perimeter of a hole cut in the roof of the vehicle adjacent the upstanding side walls of the frame member. Additionally, the escape hatch member may be attached to the frame member by a hinge mechanism that permits the escape hatch member to be pivoted between its first and second positions, and the flange member may include openings therein disposed to permit attachment screws to be screwed upwardly into the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle. Finally, it is preferred that the outward extent of the escape hatch assembly above the top surface of the roof of the vehicle does not exceed one inch.
The present invention also provides a method of installing an escape hatch assembly in an opening formed in the roof of a vehicle, which method, briefly summarized, includes the steps of mounting a resilient sealing ring around the edge of the opening in the roof of the vehicle; moving an upper portion of the escape assembly upwardly through the opening in the roof of the vehicle from inside the vehicle; and attaching the lower portion of the escape hatch assembly to the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle from inside the vehicle.
This method, preferably, may also include the steps of pivoting the escape hatch member away from the frame member; then moving the escape hatch member and frame member upwardly into the opening in the roof of the vehicle from inside the vehicle; pivoting the escape hatch member from inside the vehicle to its closed position generally adjacent the frame member; temporarily supporting the escape hatch assembly in the opening by positioning the escape hatch member so that it rests on the resilient sealing member on the roof of the vehicle, and then actuating linkage mechanisms to more securely hold the escape hatch assembly in place before the escape hatch assembly is attached to the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle.